Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi: Noble Truths, Noble Path (#179)
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This episode of the Wisdom Podcast, recorded live as a Wisdom Dharma Chat, features special guest, Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi. Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi is an American Buddhist monk from New York City. After completing his university studies he traveled to Sri Lanka, where he received novice ordination in 1972 and full ordination in 1973, both under the leading Sri Lankan scholar-monk, Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maitreya. Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi has many important publications to his credit, either as an author, translator, or editor. These include The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, and The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha. In 2008, together with several of his students, Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi founded Buddhist Global Relief, a nonprofit supporting hunger relief, sustainable agriculture, and education in countries suffering from chronic poverty and malnutrition.
During this episode host, Daniel Aitken, and Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi discuss:
- his most recent anthology from the Pāli canon, Noble Truths, Noble Path, now available in hardcover and paperback;
- the Teachings of the Buddha series;
- understanding the Buddha’s teachings and the logic behind the arrangement of the suttas within the nikāyas;
- misunderstanding of dependent origination;
- nibbana, and how the Buddha categorized nibbana; and
- much more!
Episode Notes:
- The other volume discussed at the start of the episode is Reading the Buddha’s Discourses in Pāli.
- When Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi mentions a previous anthology, he is referring to In the Buddha’s Words.
- Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi’s final recommendation for the order to read these works that he outlines at the end of the episode is
1. In the Buddha’s Words
2. Noble Truths, Noble Path
3. The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha and he mentions his audio teachings in connection to this which can be found here.
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